Feast of the Transfiguration - 5pm
14th February 2010
Preacher: The Rev'd Gillian Moses, Assistant Curate

Theme: Stuck of the Mountain-top

Text: Exodus 34.29-35, 2 Cor 3.12-4.2, Luke 9.28-36 (37-43)

JRR Tolkien , in many of his stories , takes an interesting approach to the ways in which his characters are seen by others. In The Lord of the Rings there is a moment when the Fellowship of the Ring , a band of travellers are sailing down the Great River trying to reach the land of Mordor to destroy the ring. Among the company is the ranger , Strider , a mysterious figure to the hobbits , a companion who inspires both trust and fear. Strider largely appears as a shabbily-dressed and unkempt nomad yet there are hints that all is not what it seems. And in this moment on the Great River Frodo catches a glimpse of a previously unseen nobility and presence and suddenly Strider becomes Aragorn , the Man who would be King. He even has a glow about him. In other words , Strider is transfigured before Frodo’s eyes – he is not changed into something new; rather he is revealed as something he always was. He always was the King in waiting , even though he presented as something else entirely.

Tolkien would have used the imagery of transfiguration deliberately. Tolkien’s work is deeply theological as it attempts to weave the great themes of the Christian story into a unique mythology. Throughout The Lord of the Rings , a number of characters are transfigured as hitherto unseen aspects of their characters are revealed to those around them. These revelations come at key points in the plot , and serve to renew the conviction of the central players to see out the journeys that lie before them. They face many challenges hardships and trials , yet they find within themselves and each other , the qualities necessary to meet these trials head-on: courage , nobility , faith , integrity.

For this is what transfiguration is all about. When Jesus took his friends up the mountain to pray, it was not for a party trick to impress Peter, John and James. It was not to say to the disciples “look at me! I’m divine!” The Transfiguration occurred at a turning point in Jesus’ life, a hinge in the story. From the mountain top it is a journey down into the depths, towards Jerusalem and almost certain death. It gets pretty serious from hereon in. What happens in the transfiguration of Jesus that makes sense of this shift in focus? Why was the transfiguration important or necessary to path that Jesus and his disciples were on?

The clues to this answer lies in what happens during the Transfiguration. These clues help us to interpret the event and give us a context for understanding the meaning of transfiguration. To begin with , there is the mountain top where the event takes place. Mountain-tops are where the Jews expected to meet God. So we heard from the Hebrew Scriptures about Moses meeting with God on the mountain top. Before the Exodus , too , Moses encountered God through the burning bush , also on the mountain top. Elijah met with God in the silence after the storm on the mountain top. Mountain-tops , in other words , set the scene precisely for an encounter with the Divine.

Then there is Jesus’ glowing and changed appearance. Again this description echoes the description of Moses whenever he met with God. Moses’ face would shine to the extent that the Israelites asked him to keep it veiled. They didn’t want to be reminded so forcefully that Moses sat face-to-face with God. Jesus’ face and clothes glow as a signal that this too was a divine encounter.

Next we have the figures of Moses and Elijah, the Law and the Prophets. In other words, the appearance of these two characters with Jesus sets Jesus’ mission firmly in the context of God’s Covenant with the Jewish people, revealed by the Prophets, and enshrined in the giving of the Law. Jesus’ story is not set apart from the history and tradition but firmly embedded in it. It is all part of a whole, and Jesus too is seen as a prophet and giver of the Law.

Lastly, there is the conversation between Jesus, Moses and Elijah, where they speak of Jesus’ imminent ‘departure’. What does not come through in the English translation is the importance of the word ‘departure’ or exodus. The Greek word is the same word used in the Greek version of the Hebrew Scriptures for the journey of the Israelites from oppression to liberation. In other words, what will happen in Jerusalem with Jesus is directly connected to the story of God bringing liberation to the people of God. It is a deliberate linking of the stories to interpret the transfiguration event and its place in the Jesus story. This exodus is what Jesus was to accomplish in Jerusalem .

What we know , which the disciples in the narrative do not know , is that the liberation Jesus brings comes through his crucifixion. These two events in Jesus’ life are intimately connected. Each event echoes the other – they are part of the same image , in different aspects. We cannot separate the transfiguration from the crucifixion and ultimately from the resurrection. They are all part of the working out of God’s liberation of God’s people.

And that is why our transfiguration story continues down the mountain. Peter would like to stay on the mountain-top for he knows this has been a remarkable moment. But Jesus is firm and pushes them back down to the plain, where the work of liberation continues on a very personal scale, with the healing of the epileptic boy. For encounters with God and moments of transfiguration serve a purpose. As I said before, they are not party tricks designed to impress but food for the journey. They show enough of the bigger picture to give us courage to play our small part in it.

That is why we too cannot remain stuck on the mountain-top or even in the pews of a lovely cathedral. We have moments of transcendence here too, and in other parts of our lives. We too find ourselves in the presence of God on the odd occasion and it is so tempting to linger, to build a tent and settle in. But Jesus is always behind us prodding us back into the world and down off the mountain-top. Our work and our journeys lie here in the chaos and mess and plainness of life, but they are no less important for that.

The mountain-top and what happens on it is important. It is there we too are transfigured and we catch a glimpse of our true selves , beloved of God , set within the great story of God with God’s people. But we cannot get stuck on the mountain top. Our lives can only have effect and we can only participate in God’s mission if we journey onward. That journey may often lead to something akin to crucifixion , but our encounters with God show us all that we need to keep going on to the resurrection we are promised. It is in these encounters that we find our courage , our faith , our integrity. And God knows we will need them.